Letting the Genome out of the Bottle — Will We Get Our Wish?

Abstract

It may happen soon. A patient, perhaps one you have known for years, who is overweight and does not exercise regularly, shows up in your office with an analysis of his whole genome at multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). His children, who were concerned about his health, spent $1,000 to give him the analysis as a holiday gift. The test report states that his genomic profile is consistent with an increased risk of both heart disease and diabetes, and because the company that performed the analysis stated that the test was “not a clinical service to be used as the basis for making medical decisions,” he is in the office for some “medical direction.” What should you do?